November..

What an amazing year... "we sailed into paradise to loose ourselves..
& ended up finding ourselves".... Crazy! We've now sailed in excess
of 4'500+ miles since Oct 2008 & can safely say we've visited every
atoll within the Society Islands.. 80% of the Marquasa's & a fair
share of the Tuamotu's atoll's.. we also met some incredibly inspiring
& genuinely insane people over the course of the year.. we've visited
heaven & hell ... cried & smiled within the same day..& have made some
very special friend... there's a very special community bond at sea,
people really care & really look out for one another.. that is my
strongest memoir to date..
It's also been amazing how quickly one become in-tune with the
elements... we can now predict the weather for 2-3 days in advance
with the simple use of a barometer (air pressure) & a compass (wind
direction)... it's quite a revaluation, when you suddenly realize you
understand & can predict the patterns that begin to reveal themselves
when you passages & safety rely on them..

It's a little sad leaving French Polynesia , "Apple" & friends....
Apple's been safely pulled from the "South Pacific" and is presently
sitting on stilts in Raiatea boat yard with friend's of veronica
taking care of her every need... Whilst we fly back to LA in just 8
hours eeek!! It took us 22 days to cover the same miles.. But what a
welcome break..

"Apple" will have all her line's ( control ropes) replace before she
is re launched in 1st march 2010, along with new jib's ( front
sail's) all her propeller shaft bearings & seal will be replaced,
engine's 2nd service although she has only run for 200 miles of our 45
thousand , her rudder needs to be pulled so i can replace her bushes,
I'm also having a second "emergency rudder" built in stainless
steel .. unfortunately we experienced too many nightmares of yachts
loosing there steering in the large swell or broken fishing nets or
floating coconut trees..etc.. way too many!!! finally she'll have her
bottom painted... before gently being placed back in the ocean for our
next passage...?

Another interesting fact, we've made & used 3000 gallons of 3PH water
from just two 75 PB solar panels.. So her membrane will need replacing
along with the front head (electric toilet).. Other than that , the
yacht has been incredibly safe even with wave over 4 meter at gust of
50 mph with splattering of lightning ..

So here to... LA -London- France- LA..

Eclectic mix of picture from november

Tetiaroa..

The weather in French Polynesia has begun to settle back into the
rhythm we've become accustom to.. Cold fronts roll off Australia
every 10 day's generating a couple of days of tropical rains & strong
gales, before settling back into the warm sunny SE trade winds.... I
guess thing will begin to change again in early December when these
patterns become stronger & the trade wind begin to die away (returning
in early March 2010), thus allowing "even" warmer water to penetrate
into the south Pacific &...... thus generate cyclones (around 9 a
year)... Which is why we're taking a 3 month break to catch up with
friends & family in the US & Europe & taking a break from the elements
before committing to our next destination...

Which will be one of the following... Fiji to OZ & everything in
between.. before heading up to Thailand...Or back CA via Hawaii & then
heading down to Panama - west indies.... or even a business here in
FP.. really depends on a number of factors, which include, resolving
the problems I've been having with my London rental property, how the
economy is heading,it literally crashed in the US a week before our
departure from Mexico, also i read this morning about an english
couple in a similar sized yacht captured in the Seychelles, i guess
pirates are spreading there wings & targeting private sailing vessels,
now the navy's are taking care of commerce..

Sailing to Tetiaroa.. "17 degree latitude 149'35 longitude" the
atoll is the personal property of the actor Marlon Brando, who really
put Tahiti on the map with the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" The atoll
is a ring of coral with several wooded motu's islets around them,
there isn't a Pass wide enough for "Apple" our yachts, so we anchored
about 100-ft from the outer reef, which was a bit ...Ummm, risky as
the large swell roll's in beneath us & crashes s against the 200ft
deep reef wall with such an impact, the after shock waves roll back-
out making the anchorage a little uncomfortable at best.... however
the weather forecast was good for a couple of days so we decided to
enjoy the complete isolation & natural bird sanctuary... the
following afternoon, after diving the outer reef we departed, just as
a charter boat appeared on the horizon, I guess Marlon's place is a
big tourist attraction. We're now sitting in Apooti Marina in Raiatea
which is about 2 days sailing away from Tetiaroa, simply getting our
laundry done & re stocking.. before heading back to Tahiti where i
have a meeting with a government official about setting up a location/
film commission.. just an idea...! as it amazing place live but i need
a project to keep my mind busy.. next destination is "Maupiti" then
we have a wedding to attend in Bora Bora!

Tahiti

Back Safely...

So this morning..... Ummmm.. Oh yes.. We spent 4 hours floating 2
miles out in the Pacific, just off the coast of "Papeete", with a very
nice eclectic group of boaters..
Let's see.... There was a group of terrified tourist that were on a
whale & dolphin watching tour, an Oil tanker, 1x car ferry, 2x mega
yachts, 1x replica of the sailing vessel " The Bounty", 3x local
fishing boats, a small white power boat with water skier, Us & another
similar sailing sloop.... Oh & the radios were jammed with a french/
spanish fluent nothingness, everyone was safe & the sea washed across
the docks at 1.4M above average... Our sympathy go out to everyone in
Samoa...

Tsunami

Just arrived in "Papeete" Tahiti.... to the sounds of Tsunami warning,
apparently there's been an earth quake of around 8 in magnitude in
American Samoa the next group if islands to our south west!! Apple &
veronica want to head to the hill's.. but unfortunately the safest
place is back out to find deeper sea's..>...

smiling at life...

After two week's of cruising around Huahine, we finally managing to
find a vet to take 3x blood samples from "apple" to send to the
"Kansas State University," USA to comply with her annual rabies tests,
thus saving her months of quarantine in her next port of call after
FP. On promptly on hearing this package plop gently into the coconut
palm post box... we up anchored & set sail back to island of Raitea to
confirm our December 1st haul-out date at the boat yard..

It's been amazing.. how "in-tune" you become with the elements after
being afloat for so long... & it's also been quite an eye opener..
when you mix the vulnerability of these small sailing crafts against
the infinite mass these elements can subliminally create around
you... when we look back over the last year & all those cruising
friends we've met & befriended, well I guess.... it's this
vulnerability that bonds Us all soo closely together as a
community...! . We (Veronica & Myself) probably know about 100
cruising yachts out here & around 20-30 very closely.... & out of
these 20 or so yacht ..... TWO have become fatalities, "Emerly Pearl"
who sank in Marquesas & "Lariekoek" who hit a reef & sunk off Mango
Island ... however strangest thing is .... Both these two yachts (both
singlehanded) were being sailed by the most experienced sailors out
here... ,I mean, Aedgard in "Lariekoek" had already won the
"whitbread' round the world race..twice!!! YES!! TWICE!! In "Flyer"
as Dutch yacht.. & Richard in "Emily Pearl" had been circumnavigating
for over 14 years... both although in there mid 60's but were like
children at heart... Maybe, just like in all walks of life .. People
get complacent, a little too confident or perhaps little to
"knowledgeable".. .. who knows.? . but the one thing age dose brings
is....." Knowledge' & knowledge unfortunately brings..... "Fear"
sorry to say ( just my opinion).... & FEAR Will hold you back!!

I'd have never started a Film company at the age of 20, "IF" i'd
known what owning a film company really entailed!! I mean the scale
of the idea (with no money of support just powered by pure
naivety).. .. But I'm extremely glad I did... as I'm still reaping
it's rewards.

... So basically if anyone out there? (& I have received quite a few
letters for people who'd like to take the same adventure) .. I'd say
if your naive enough to cross the pacific Do it!! (Just make sure
you're physically able to handle the epic passages).. & you'll never
look back.!. & do it as young as you can... Because as you get
older.. That crippling thing called "knowledge" is going to imprison
you... in fear!!..

So here's a bit of knowledge...!! A beautiful clear starry night
sky... means ....very strong winds will be with you shortly!!.... .
when the wind starts & stops. with little puff's one at a time... it's
changing direction...!! over the past month of september , i can see
the heavy humid squall beginning to re-appear just after sunset's,
becoming more & more prevalent as the sun moves into Souther
hemisphere, I guess ( i mean knowledge has taught me) ..some of these
squalls will begin to fill with lightning...eeK.!.... one of the
negatives about spending a summer under the Tropic of Capricorn.

During our brief stopover in Raitea, we received a visit from a
fascinating local polynesian guy..,, He didn't speak any English just
a little French/polynesian, but seemed very interested "Apple" the
yacht.. especially her British flag... in-fact, I'd say he was
totally infatuated by the British flag, I tried to talk with him..
but he'd simply smile.. far too content watching the union Jack
flutter, he seemed quite at peace with himself.... So we simply went
about our "in port" chores of washing down the boat, airing the
spinnaker & storm sails, before heading into town to purchase
supplies .. On the way in, we found an old chinese woman, selling
fresh local fruits & vegetables straight from her front garden, so we
were able to buy all our fresh produce before even getting to town
&.. within another 10 minutes we managed to but a massive Dorado or
Mahi Mahi straight from the fisherman.... so by the time we found the
supermarket we were already loaded up...

Anyways back to our friend at the dock side.... Well, ... We finally
on arrive back to the dock, to a very warm welcome from our "new flag
loving friend"..& he actually said something!!..... He spoke!! In
broken very french/poly/english " you sooo lucky" ..Ummm, I thought
he was talking about the Yacht & sailing around.. ...So I said..
"ummm.. Thank-you, yes.. Thank you..I guess I am" & kindly shook his
hand..... I guess i should of explained that ... i did work like a
machine in film for some twenty years or so... plus I had to sell my
soul to the advertising industry... But i guess this might have got
tangled up in translation...

Anyway's.... Smiling, he picked up his brown canvass bag & pulled out
a pile of old hand drawn papers which he happily unrolled before
me.. ...at first glance, it looked like a succession of sketches of
british flags.. each beautiful in their own craftsmanship.. but on
closer inspection, throughout the beautiful "palace script" style hand
written notes, were astral inscriptions, market in degree's & time,
maps of England overlaid on top of Tahiti., the tips of the flag
reaching across the globe....with endless notes.etc. measurements &
angles... This was this guys lifetimes occupation.. He was about to
prove that Tahiti was in fact England!! ..,It was inspiring in its
meticulous detail.. If that makes any sense..? On even closer
inspection & after asking a series of in-depth questions bout his
knowledge of astronomy & astrology.. I could see... he was right!!...

& finally he said again "you soo lucky being English" because that
means you are Polynesian & we were apparently brother? Amazing..!!

Huahine

Huahine "The Island of Vanilla" , Coconut Crab & "Apple" hitting our
first Reef!

Huahine is definitely a paradise on earth & undoubtably the best
island in the Society archipelago, I guess part of this reason is
because it's alway been over shadowed by it's more famous neighbor
Bora Bora... so being that tourist's, or should i say honeymooners,
never really leave the perimeters of their own reef's.. i guess it's
remained a totally under-developed, which has pleasantly pushed the
local community to for a different source of income.. "Vanilla"....
Vanilla farms are everywhere & when it not being farmed, it's being
dried... so the islands smells of this amazing intoxicating aroma!
Another endearing aspect of Huahine is it's extremely sheltered bays
both Port Bourayne & Baie Maroe are both set within virtually 360
degree of volcanic mountain which lie behind to islands atoll reef...
So sheltered that there considered cyclone hole's, which is good to
know with the on coming season!

Veronica & Myself .. Have been wrestling with the idea of sailing 2500
miles NE to the island Hawaii for this coming cyclone season &
returning here again in March, But unfortunately, we've just
discovered that "Apple" (dog) would have to undergo a further two
set's of quarantine, 1st for entering Hawaii & again for returning to
French Polynesia.. So that's firmly out! & NZ was never really an
option as we'd like to stay cruising the infinite atolls & islands in
the South pacific for another year.. & NZ is a battle to far in the
return voyage.. So the NEW plan is "Apple" the yacht is being hauled
out in Raiatea, she'll be rested into a steel cradle, whilst myself &
veronica take a couple of months seeing family in Europe with a little
snowboarding in LA. Apple (dog) will be staying with local friends in
Tahiti ( thus avoiding any travel & quarantine stresses) I feel very
bad leaving her, but she love the islands, can swims everyday, so I
believe its better than dragging her to freezing cold London just to
sit in quarantine in some remote government unit....

After suddenly confronting the quarantine issue again & doing heavy
research into the weather systems around the south pacific, I can see
that although Tahiti is on the edge of the cyclone region, it actually
hasn't had a cyclone in 10 years & has never had one over a Tropical
Storm Level, unlike the islands more west of FP or even places like
the West Indies who seem to get class 3&4 hurricanes a little too
regularly.. also there's hundreds of other boat cruising the FP'S
through-out the year with two massive charter companies who also leave
there yachts fleets here... So i guess it's a calculated risk..

Oh.. Did I say... Hitting a reef?. We'll it we just a graze it, we
were only doing 3 knots, cruising down the inside edge of Huahine
looking at the surf break, the surf break is supposedly the biggest &
best in the world, it is said that surfing begun here! & when to look
out over the reef you can see why .. massive swell roll in across
3500 miles of open pacific & suddenly hit "Huahine" just amazing & if
as like when we entered there a large SE swell, you basically sail in
along side other surfers! anyway in the middle of watching a set line
up... Crunch.. I was just too complacent!! & Apple luckily slide
sideways off a coral head, but after diving on her I could only see
it was just a scrape on the end of her steel fin keel.. Luckily a
very different ending than has just happened to our close friend
Aedgard on the sailing boat "Lariekoek" who hit a reef around Fiji &
unfortunately has lost everything....

OK..So I just added followers to my Blog page.. Please if you read to
blog & think should carry on posting picture etc!!!! ,,,Please could
you kindly, click on followers , as I'm seriously wondering whether
to continue posting....

Stingrays in Moorea

"Love Song"

"Love Song"...

Finally! After my local Broker was able to assist Simon in clearing
customs, Simon boarded an Air Tahiti to Raiatea ( about 1/2 from
Papeete airport) where "Apple" (yacht) was awaiting her new regulator
in the boat yard... I guess the flight went pretty smoothly as he
arrived on exactly time... & literally, within a few hours of
Simon's arrival, "Apple" (yacht) was fixed & ready to depart... So
@ 7AM the following morning, we headed out of Uturoa boat yard, across
the coral shallow that divide Raiatea from Tahaa, before exiting
through the "Paipai Pass" which shelters both atolls from the giant
breaker that roll in across the South Pacific .... these surf breaks
are so large that the world surfing championships are held here, This
is where surfing began!! & to this very day there's a massive
migration of surfers from all around the world to take up these
notorious breaks.. So with a little help from the strong SE trade's of
a constant 25+ knots we quickly crossed to Bora Bora...

NB: both myself & Veronica are eternally grateful to Simon, who single
handily managed to locate all the correct replacement parts,
otherwise I'm sure "Apple" would still be sitting in a boat yard.

One evening whilst anchored out side the Bora Bora yacht club, "Love
Song" a 50" sailing sloop on route to "Tonga", (Tonga... Ummmm? A
strangely famous group of islands in the South pacific, because every
family "MUST" raise their youngest male as a girl? Thats a fact!!...
Made even stranger, because Tonga's citizens are the biggest race of
people in the world.. Just look at New Zealand's "All Blacks" rugby
team, most are from Tonga!!) invited both Myself & Simon & all other
yachts around to a Party aboard Love Song....

Anyways.. Knowing that it would be a late night, filled with excess
alcohol, I decided to leave Apple (dog) safely at home aboard
Apple( yacht).. Something i know she hates... So knowing from
experience, Apple would do all in her powers to join us... I literally
battened down all the hatches, filled her dish with fresh Tuna,
checked her fresh water was the correct 37 degree in temp, played her
favorite mellow "massive attack" music , accompanied by a DVD "
Wimbledon Tennis finals 1972-2007", dimmed the lights to a warm
glow.!.. .. then double checked that everything was fully closed-up,
except for a tiny tiny air vent in the ceiling, closing-up the galley
doors before locking the main entrance & sealing-up the rear transom,
before finally boarding the Mercury dingy for a night of fun.. ...

"Love Song" was anchored out in much deeper water & much choppier, So
after 15 minutes of navigation around an eclectic group of sailing
vessels which all shared the same anchorage.. We finally arrived!!

Cut to... After about 3x rum punches into the party.., I suddenly
caught a slight glimpse of white fur scurrying through people
legs...? ... & on closer inspection.. It was Apple?!! APPLE!!!! i
called her name "APPPPLLE" she stopped in her tracks... her tail
quickly wilted between her legs.. as she looked up with a guilts
expression... which suddenly changes to one of anger & distance, as if
i was spoiling her party... then she was gone.!! . quickly scurried
away into the party.....

Well, after 3 rum punches, i just though it was too much trouble to
return he back to the boat.. so i left her on her quest to find the
kitchen, she alway hang out in the kitchen at parties...... I guess,
Apple had some how got out the boat? jumped into the sea? waved down
a passing dingy!! ,& got asked them to take her to the party....
amazing!! shocking!! & to this date i still can't understand how she
did it?? .. Anyway, Simon's trip was great, really nice catching up,
even if he made me pull up & down the anchor 4 X s a day.. he simply
wanted to keep moving from one bay to the next... well times moved on
& he's long gone, Veronica came back with her mother, I took a brief
trip back to LA.. & now we're back on track, Veronica's mother gone
( see veronica blog beneath) & we're about to head out to Huahine..

MXX

Veronica's Entry:

Knowing that Mike's friend Simon was about to arrive, combined with
the fact that my mother would need to travel via LA to visit us in
Bora Bora, I decided to make the most of it and spend a couple of
weeks in LA catching up with friends! ..... after a few days of
"adjusting" (...well after all these months in the middle of the
Ocean even landing at LAX can be quite overwhelming!! ), sharing my
adventures with friends ...I meet mamma Laura, my mum.

She was excited about our trip... Bora Bora! A lifetime dream of
hers... I am very excited to see her too, but honestly a bit worried
about her staying on the boat... my mum might be a great skier,
hiker... great at anything that involves mountains but as far as
boats....Well... it's not really her thing. For as far back as I can
remember, she's always got sea sick...so... you can imagine my
concern. Still, this seemed too good of an opportunity to explore and
enjoy Bora Bora, so...off we went!

We both flew directly to Tahiti from LAX, where we begun our vacation
with a dinner at the "roulottes", the street vans... a great
experience to have, and...the most amazing fish! especially "poisson
cru". Then we enjoyed a morning at the colorful farmers market in
downtown Papeete... then off to Tahiti airport! Destination Bora
Bora ...first stop Raiatea.
We arrived with a raugh landing due to a passing storm, ...sorry
mum....very disappointing to arrive in French Polynesia with bad
weather! But we hoped for the better... the sun would have been back
soon! We decided to catch the ferry from Raiatea, which would allow
us a little time to explore, before our next destination "Bora Bora" .

When we arrived in Bora Bora, both Mike and Apple had come to pick us
up, Mike had arranged a water side table at the Bora Bora yacht club
for our welcoming dinner, where Simon was already waiting for us....
as he was due to depart the following morning...But...ummmm....
"apparently " he had tricked all his new friends into having a
goodbye party the pervious night, even though he wasn't gonna leave
yet ?! So a Double party for Simon, excellent welcome dinner for us!!
Apple seemed to be at home here... she even had a new boyfriend... or
should I say dog friend? A doberman pincher called Dumbo!
After a fun relaxing dinner followed by a little too much
alcohol......I offered mamma the option of staying in a water front
bungalow, owned by the Bora Bora yacht club!...
however she was still determined on having the true "Apple"
experience.... I was a bit worried, but as it turned out .. there was
no reason for my concern!! She stayed the whole week aboard
"Apple" ...without a second of being sea sick... feeling
uncomfortable...or being scared of anything!! And in all these
years, I thought she could not handle boats?!!...or... perhaps it's
just the pure beauty of Bora Bora that can make anyone forget about
sea sickness?!! I say... good job mum!

The week went by too fast, and even if we had a couple of days of bad
weather, I can honestly say ...."I truly had the best vacation with my
mother". I enjoyed sharing this experience with her, we both had a
wonderful time sailing around this paradise.... what more can you ask
for?... nice dinners, smiling mamma, chilling in the sun...swimming
and enjoying the south pacific! Thank you Captain!

VXX

Simon's i-phone vision Of Bora Bora..

trouble in the bulge..

Finally..... After 2 days of recovering from our 4th of July
celebrating in Bora Bora, we headed back to the island of "Raiatea to
finally get my leaking stuffing box replaced in a boat yard & thus
enabling Veronica take a short sabbatical & meet her mother in Los
Angeles, who will be joining us in Bora Bora around the 30th.. So in
this brief absence, Simon a close friend from Venice CA is joining me
for a couple of weeks diving holiday...

Drama... Only about I hour out of Bora Bora, "Apple's" 75 turbo
charged diesel stopped charging the heavy battery banks... which
could & would have been a complete nightmare, but due to the fact that
we're already on route to the boat yard.. Was in fact a complete
blessing "time-wise".. As now I could simply add an additional item
to Simon's already long parts list.. Which included generator amongst
other major items!

So with Veronica safely aboard a plane & the yard already replacing
out the leaking stuffing box & had found that I had a faulty
regulator.. We're already on route to solving the electrical
enigma.... Thus I eagerly awaited Simon arrival the following day....
Ummmm?

Papeete... & Mr Scott's arrival...

Well, knowing that he was now in possession of over $4000 worth of new
spares yacht parts, combined with the fact that Tahitian customs are
as notorious as the Bangkok Hilton prison guards in Thailand....
Ummmmm!!!

I advised Simon to think "outside the box" when it comes to import
tax! .... Well any normal person "on arrival" would of hidden in the
737 rear toilet until all passengers had disembark, when whilst the
plane was being re-fueled... he should of slipped out the right hand
side emergency exit, (located over the planes wing), Then If all
clear, slowly slide down across the wing, before jumping the last 7
foot onto the tarmac runway beneath! then immediately hide under the
engine or hid behind one of it's wheels! If he was seen by any
unsuspecting mechanic... he should say " yes yes plane seems fine" &
quickly start examining the tires.. when all was clear, he could
quietly sneak into the planes cargo hold & carefully remove the my new
generator & additional parts... before making a quick dash across the
runway (carrying the generator),... before finally climbing the barb
wire fence...simple!!! oh... & phone me for a quick & easy pick-up.
simple "No customs" & No hassle...

UMmmmmm No!..That's not what Simon did!... He simply walked through
the "NOTHING" to declare, pushing a massive new shiny RED box with
CLEARLY marked letters HONDA GENERATOR & quickly found himself in his
own private office having a nice discussion about the laws..
Especially the bit about... "Nothing to declare" .. I think they
kindly offered him a "free accommodation" at their expense! In the
local detention centre.... "welcome to paradise'..

Ummm I was very fortunate to find this out about his adventures at
around 12-1 am when he was finally given his ONE phone call before
"incarceration" maybe be even chopping off his hand... not really
sure about this?,... . SO I immediately phoned the customs agent..&
firmly explained that although Simon was probably in the wrong &
acting totally alone... & that I completely understood that Simon
should await trail in papeete.. BUT Please Could I kindly have my
generator, at least till the case came to trail..? "No..... thats what
i wanted to say" ... No i search all night until exhausted, fatigue
was setting in... but i fought on.. & finally found Laurent my agent
broker , phone number.... who arranged for all the "Correct paperwork
regarding Importing parts for a "vessel in transit" which is IMPORT
TAX free.... to be sent directly to customs the "following
morning" ... So although Simon did miss his connection flight.... he
was released & was finally able to pick up the parts the following
afternoon with a full pardon!

Now we cruising back to Bora Bora... & I'm going to ask Simon the
write the next entry...

where have we been?

After week's of relaxing, submerged within the outstanding beauty of
island of Moorea, whilst waiting for a new "Stuffing box" to arrive
from France (STUFFING BOX: seal's the joint between the engine & the
propeller shaft), we finally received a call from Laurent (PYS-
PolynesaiPolynesai Yacht Services) to inform us that our parts were
awaiting pick-up at the Bali Hight Hotel in Cook's bay... ....

Rather than do the sensible thing & head straight to the boat yard In
Raitatea with our replacement parts... We decide to head straight to
Bora Bora as a close friend of ours (Dietmars on the Catamaran
Carinthia) was hosting a 4th July party... sounds much better that a
bout yard!!!, thus, around mid morning of the 3rd july we up anchored
& headed west again..... pushed along by the massive swell's that
rolled beneath, which have now been created from the many months of
the developing trade winds.

The journey took us throughout the night, with both Veronica & myself
doing our 3 hours on/off watch duty's, & Finally at around 6:30 am we
could clearly see the distinctive Volcanic silhouetted shape of
Raitatea ...

Raiatea: was the religious & cultural center that was imported through-
out the pacific, descendants of Raiatea have settled on the Cook's to
New Zealand & When captain Cook visited the island in 1769, he found
that the king Of Raiatea was already in exile & the island was now
ruled under Bora Bora..

We entered the "Teavapiti Pass" this is a narrow passage (that dose
not present any problems) through the 22 miles of shallow coral reef's
that stretch between the two islands of Tahaa & Raiatea. On entering
the pass, we noticed a small fishing marina on our port side... &
decided to take a short break, exhausted from out night's surf/
sailing. Unfortunately the tiny marina was already filled with local
fishing Pang's & a number of old 1970s battered & broken private sail
boats, So the only available tie-up being a very narrow slip between
the fishing boats & a battered yacht, just enough room to head Bow
(front) in , then tie-up (Med style) & drop a stern anchor...

After anchoring up, with a little help from some friendly local
fishermen, we immersed ourselves in fresh coffee. When.......
Suddenly a dive boat appeared! Being driven by a 50-ish year old
French woman, carrying about 5-6 scuba diver that had obviously just
finished a morning scuba-dive.... She appeared to be heading in our
direction, in fact she appeared to be heading straight for our/
probably her slip..? . I waved again.. But she totally ignored me, I
"THINK" I could hear her engine gain a higher pitch as if
accelerating, I waved again!! & again!! .. When suddenly she collided
straight into us!!! With-out even a word, then she began to reverse,
as if about to do the same again..??? This time as she came back at
us.. I jumped onto her boat ( which was only about 20 Ft long & much
lower) & grabbed her helm, causing her to glide into the concrete
dock....

After stalling her engine ... I explained that should she wish to try
that again .She would find herself in the Ocean! Woow.... She suddenly
let loose on a stream of French word's Ummmm? ...... Creating a petard
as if she were victim of a massive crime? Even the local fishermen
seemed a little wary of her (she definitely retained a strange sort of
history in this Marina). To cut a long story short.. After looking
at the slight damage she'd caused to "Apple" yacht..i offered to take
advise from the police, she suddenly retreated to her car & sped-away,
leaving her scuba party standing in pure shock on the wharf?

& both Veronica & Myself were still totally confused at her action,
but were still determinet to make Bora Bora before nightfall as it was
now the 4th of July... so we simply headed out... arrived at Bora Bora
for sunset... amazing!!

So Bora Bora party was amazing & a whole different story.... really
enjoying the ever unfolding story M&V & 2x Apple's

i